EA Sports UFC News Post

EA Sports UFC Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (Xbox One, PS4)

09:41 PM - June 2, 2014 by Pappy Knuckles

The EA Sports UFC demo is available now for Xbox One (queue it up here), it weighs in at 2.7GB. If you are up for it, you can also download from your PS4 by creating a European account, then downloading from this link.

UPDATE: The demo is now available for PS4 users in North America. Search for EA Sports UFC in the PlayStation Store or click here to queue it up.

The demo includes light heavyweight champ Jon �Bones� Jones vs. Alex �The Mauler� Gustafsson in a three round fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. The difficulty is set to normal with a walkthrough tutorial included.

Play a few matches and post your impressions!

Game: EA Sports UFCReader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 7 - View All

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Member Comments

# 501 aholbert32 @ 06/09/14 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameplayDevUFC


	Doing that right now...

Also if you can ask around about the total number of CAFs allowed and if there are scorecards in the game that would be appreciated.

# 502 GameplayDevUFC @ 06/09/14 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremym480


	If you could record a video of Machida versus Anderson Silva and post it that'd be great. If there's a single strike thrown within the first three minutes of the fight the game isn't realistic! I kid, I kid. How does fighting against a bigger, stronger, grappler feel? In my opinion another great Litmus test would be fighting against someone like Cormier and purposefully letting him take you down. If you can easily get back up to your feet or get a reversal at the rate were seeing on the demo, then that's not a good sign. I want to fear great grapplers, you know? I understand that the demo is on easy, so maybe I'm off base here, but that's definitely one of the first things that I'm going to check out.

I'm not going to record and post any videos...it's not something I'm really in a position to do and I imagine the red tape of trying to get something like that approved is more work than I have time for. You'll just have to take me on my word when I describe things. I have no doubt that someone on these forums will post videos of pretty much everything discussed once the game comes out so you won't have too long to wait.

So I played a bunch of games this morning with the intention of testing out a few scenarios. I played Weidman (me) vs. Machida (CPU) a few times on different difficulty levels and employing different strategies.

I also played Jones (me) vs. Cormier (CPU) on pro.

The TL;DR of the whole experience is that CPU Machida does employ a more defensive, counter striking fighting style, but if I was to guess it's not as extreme as you'd like to see. DC however was a pretty damn good representation and was a stark contrast to Gus. I was much more pleased with his representation.

So on to the details...

I played against Machida on Easy, Normal, Hard and Pro. I did several tests on each level.

In the first batch I performed no takedowns to maximize the time on the feet, but played a regular standup game otherwise. I also intentionally didn't finish the fight on the lower difficulty levels to make sure we went the distance each time.

In the second batch I tested not performing any strikes at all, and just dodging and parrying to see how that would alter the stats and strategies.

Finally, I played a normal game where I performed takedowns and played a normal ground game mixed in with everything else.

Number of strikes thrown by Machida in these scenarios ranged from 130-230 depending on the test I was performing and the difficulty levels. According to fight metric, Machida threw 61 strikes in the 3 round fight against Phil Davis, and 108 strikes in the 5 round fight against Mousasi. That's roughly 20 strikes per round on average in real life. I'm actually surprised it wasn't more against Mousasi as I seem to remember him being much more aggressive in that fight. Although perhaps it skewed higher in the earlier rounds...who knows. Anyway, it looks like we're trending best case having him throw twice as many strikes as in real life, and worst case 3.8 times as many as in real life. I couldn't find stats for how long each of those fights were spent standing up vs. on the ground, so it's possible taking that into consideration would put our results in a more favorable light.

Doubling his strike output compared to real life isn't that bad in my opinion, but I would have liked to see it lower I think, especially in the tests where I didn't engage him at all. I got the most realistic numbers when fighting normally and mixing in the ground game. I found when I parried him, his AI slowed down a bit more that if I dodged him. Not sure why. I found myself circling into kicks quite often when employing the dodging strategy and almost got KO'd a couple of times. Since I wasn't trying to finish the fight, I had to hold off striking him which may have increased his output artificially...not sure.

I found there would be 5 second breaks (real time not on the clock) between strike attempts by him on average, which is different from what I'm seeing in the demo videos for sure. He also threw kicks considerably more than punches, and he targeted the body a lot more than the head (this was very noticeable). I saw the occasionally jab flurry, but not that often. Only other punch I remember seeing was a few superman punches. Lots of kicks.

He only attempted 2-3 takedowns a fight on average, and seemed very happy to stand up if the fight ended up on the ground (which didn't happen often as I was mostly trying to test the standup).

He was clearly a counter puncher, but did push the pace when I deliberately held off engaging. I'm thinking this and overall strike volume are where people are most likely to find fault. The AI does behave differently depending on what you try and do in the fight, so this is more of a general impression over multiple fights and not a guarantee of how he will perform when you fight him.

I guess that's it for my Machida scouting report.

As for Cormier, he was way different. He felt slow but powerful when standing, threw strikes that looked completely different from Gus (again, slow, deliberate but powerful looking), nothing flashy at all. The reach difference was very noticeable and had him rocked when we were standing up. I think maybe i could have finished him, second guessed myself since I wanted the test to continue, and then he took me down.

Once on the ground I definitely felt his strength and wrestling skill. I had a hard time getting out from under him...I think we ended up on our feet again but I don't remember how. Didn't dominate as much once we got back up, he clinched me, dropped for a takedown, got to side control and smothered me until he got the GnP finish. I could not get out of his side control for the life of me.

That fight felt really authentic to me and was a really nice thing to see after the slight disappointment with my Machida test.

Hopefully this gives you guys a taste of what's to come. I'm not trying to sell you anything, I'm just trying to give you my honest assessment of how the game stacked up in those two tests from a "sim" perspective.

I love the game and think it's a ton of fun, this was more an exercise to break down some of the sim aspects for the hard core guys. I don't want anyone reading this post to misunderstand my thoughts on the game overall. I love what we've built. There are things we could have done better no doubt, but overall I'm very proud of what we delivered.

# 503 GameplayDevUFC @ 06/09/14 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	Also if you can ask around about the total number of CAFs allowed and if there are scorecards in the game that would be appreciated.

Just want to make sure I understand you when you say "score cards are in the game". I haven't played the demo build much myself so I don't know what was taken out or left in.

If you win by split decision, Buffer will say "the first judge scored the round 29-28 Machida, the second judge scored the round 29-28 Weidman. The third judge scored the fight, 30-27 for the winner by split decision...".

Is that what you're referring to?

# 504 aholbert32 @ 06/09/14 04:15 PM

Thanks man. I'm not that upset about the Machida numbers because it shows that there is some real life strategy employed by the AI. Compared to UFC 3 (which I love) this is an improvement. In that game, Machida fought like an aggressive striker and that was frustrating. I accept that its a video game so having him strike more than normal isnt the end of the world.

Love the Cormier stuff too.

# 505 2_headedmonster @ 06/09/14 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	Also if you can ask around about the total number of CAFs allowed and if there are scorecards in the game* that would be appreciated.*

Developers really dont realize how important reading the cards are, but I remember some of the most tense moments playing Knockout Kings were when it went to the cards.

I had a rivalry, wit Rocky Marciano and my cousin had one with Sugar Ray Leonard. My fights were always with me on my bike, Rocky was swinging cinder blocks on that game. But I remember he once went to hell and back with Sugar Ray for 15 rounds. Slugged, boxed, knockdowns on both sides; all the makings of a Rocky movie. I was sweating and i didnt even have a controller, but we both just knew that he'd won a close bout. They read the cards in a dramatic fashion, they'er even closer than we thought. It was a split decision...the anticipation built. "and stiiiilllll"...wtf, Sugar Ray pulled it off. Our jaws hit the floor.

I cant imagine that moment being anywhere near as dramatic if it was as dry as a simple: " And the winner by split decision is Sugar Ray Leonard"

# 506 aholbert32 @ 06/09/14 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameplayDevUFC


	Just want to make sure I understand you when you say "score cards are in the game". I haven't played the demo build much myself so I don't know what was taken out or left in. If you win by split decision, Buffer will say "the first judge scored the round 29-28 Machida, the second judge scored the round 29-28 Weidman. The third judge scored the fight, 30-27 for the winner by split decision...". Is that what you're referring to?

YES IT IS. The demo just has Buffer say "the winner by split decision is Jon Jones". I was hoping that they game would read the cards just like you described. I'm so happy thats in the retail game.

# 507 GameplayDevUFC @ 06/09/14 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	YES IT IS. The demo just has Buffer say "the winner by split decision is Jon Jones". I was hoping that they game would read the cards just like you described. I'm so happy thats in the retail game.

Ok sweet. I was worried there was some feature from one of the older games where you actually saw the score cards or something and I'd have to say no we don't have that.

I agree, proper score card announcement is key to the drama of a split decision, and I'm happy to say it's in the game.

# 508 Phobia @ 06/09/14 04:42 PM

EA presser showing Lee vs Penn in the 5th round with stamina damn near completely fresh is a major issue if that is how it will be in retail!!!!

Gamedev, where is perm stamina ending up on the meter after a 3 round fight and a 5 round fight? Completely exhausted would be in the 25% remaining on the meter I would imagine and tired in the sub 50% range. Seeing guys with 90% of their perm stamina in the 5th round, something is wrong. ESPECIALLY seeing it from BJ PENN!!!!!!!!!!!

# 509 The JareBear @ 06/09/14 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia


	EA presser showing Lee vs Penn in the 5th round with stamina damn near completely fresh is a major issue if that is how it will be in retail!!!! Gamedev, where is perm stamina ending up on the meter after a 3 round fight and a 5 round fight? Completely exhausted would be in the 25% remaining on the meter I would imagine and tired in the sub 50% range. Seeing guys with 90% of their perm stamina in the 5th round, something is wrong. ESPECIALLY seeing it from BJ PENN!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr1GwAKYAsA

I think thats the video for those who wanna see

# 510 aholbert32 @ 06/09/14 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia


	EA presser showing Lee vs Penn in the 5th round with stamina damn near completely fresh is a major issue if that is how it will be in retail!!!! Gamedev, where is perm stamina ending up on the meter after a 3 round fight and a 5 round fight? Completely exhausted would be in the 25% remaining on the meter I would imagine and tired in the sub 50% range. Seeing guys with 90% of their perm stamina in the 5th round, something is wrong. ESPECIALLY seeing it from BJ PENN!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats a problem but we dont know what level the game was at. Could be easy just like the demo.

# 511 The JareBear @ 06/09/14 05:30 PM

Yeah, I am not sure what to take from the video.

It seemed to me like they wanted to show damage on the bodies of the fighter that accumulated during the fight, show a big takedown and submission attempt, and then the highlight reel KO

# 512 Weedboy @ 06/09/14 05:47 PM

we are all buying the game. now how many caf spots are we getting. everyone keeps dancing around this issue and we are about to be a week away. you can tell me as i will still buy it even if it is some absurdly low number like 50.

# 513 GameplayDevUFC @ 06/09/14 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weedboy


	we are all buying the game. now how many caf spots are we getting. everyone keeps dancing around this issue and we are about to be a week away. you can tell me as i will still buy it even if it is some absurdly low number like 50.

The only reason I'm dodging the question is because I was given instructions to only talk about gameplay (which makes sense because that's all I'm really well versed in), and the people who gave me the go ahead to do this are all down at E3 right now so I'm playing it safe.

It's nothing specific to the CAF slot question itself. Ask me anything about career or any game mode and I'll have the same answer.

I hope you guys can understand that.

# 514 Phobia @ 06/09/14 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameplayDevUFC


	The only reason I'm dodging the question is because I was given instructions to only talk about gameplay (which makes sense because that's all I'm really well versed in), and the people who gave me the go ahead to do this are all down at E3 right now so I'm playing it safe. It's nothing specific to the CAF slot question itself. Ask me anything about career or any game mode and I'll have the same answer. I hope you guys can understand that.

Any info on this

Quote:


	Gamedev, where is perm stamina ending up on the meter after a 3 round fight and a 5 round fight? Completely exhausted would be in the 25% remaining on the meter I would imagine and tired in the sub 50% range. Seeing guys with 90% of their perm stamina in the 5th round, something is wrong. ESPECIALLY seeing it from BJ PENN!!!!!!!!!!!

# 515 GameplayDevUFC @ 06/09/14 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia


	Any info on this

Brian just posted this on reddit. I'll just quote him here.

"For what its worth, we didn't really fight the first 4 rounds hardcore, just did enough to get some bruising visible. We didn't want anybody to get knocked out in the first 4 rounds."

Maybe I'll perform some tests later, but the Machida/Cormier tests I did this morning took half my day and I do have work I need to get done. I expect the forums to get pretty busy come the 17th so I don't want to spend too much time this week online. It's just so addicting.

# 516 TheVinylHippo @ 06/09/14 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameplayDevUFC


	The only reason I'm dodging the question is because I was given instructions to only talk about gameplay (which makes sense because that's all I'm really well versed in), and the people who gave me the go ahead to do this are all down at E3 right now so I'm playing it safe. It's nothing specific to the CAF slot question itself. Ask me anything about career or any game mode and I'll have the same answer. I hope you guys can understand that.

I have a question about the Career mode:

Is it in any way going to be in the vein of Fight Night Champion's Champion Mode? Basically, is there going to be any semblance of story or plot at all?

# 517 The JareBear @ 06/09/14 06:39 PM

GameplayDev I appreciate you taking the time to communicate with us.

The total numbers of strikes does seem really high to me, but whatever. I think I am going to enjoy the game regardless.

# 518 Swamp Swagger @ 06/09/14 06:45 PM

Any else think Bruce Lee looked a little to buff? At least to me that E3 videos made him look a lot bigger than he really is

Not a big deal just a observation.

# 519 SwedishTouch76 @ 06/09/14 06:45 PM

Just saw the BJ Penn/Bruce Lee vid. Round 5 and both guys have like 80-85 % permanent stamina still. Online is going to be a mess. Frickin spamfest like FNC turned into. Im debating cancelling my preorder as this is a killer for me

# 520 aholbert32 @ 06/09/14 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVinylHippo


	I have a question about the Career mode: Is it in any way going to be in the vein of Fight Night Champion's Champion Mode? Basically, is there going to be any semblance of story or plot at all?

No story mode. Its your typical career mode with videos from other fighters talking about your career.

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